Washing machine



A. F. ANDERSON.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1919.

1 $28 295 Patented. Jul 18, 1922 I 2 SHEETSSHEET .HIilLh A. FJANDERSQN;

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-7,1919.

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ADOLPH F. ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO APEX APPLIANCECOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed November 7, 1919. Serial No. 336,362.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnoLrH F. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States,residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing ma chines.

More particularly it relates to washing machines of the power driventype.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved washingmachine.

Another object is to provide an improved Washing machine having its tuband operating mechanism entirely enclosed.

Another object is to provide an improved housing for a washing machine.

Another object is to provide a housed washing machine wherein the tuband operating mechanism are readily accessible.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the specification andclaims.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a washing machine.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.-

Fig. 3 1s a section on the line 3-3 of Fi 2.

ig. 4 is a section on the line H of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a section of the housing wall slides.

The washing machine comprises in general a pivotally mounted tub 5 whichis oscillated by operating mechanism including a motor 6. The tub, motorand other movlng parts are completely enclosed by a housing 7. t

The housing has a base composed of four angle irons 8, bolted togetherat their ends to form a substantially rectangular frame. The base isprovided with four depending casters 10, whereby the washing machine mabe moved about readily.

arried by the base are two end walls 11 and 12. Each end wall has aninwardly extending flange 13. These flanges strengthen the ends, formcorner posts the housing and provide supports for the side wall and,cover guides to be hereinafter described. Each end wall may be made froma single piece of sheet iron or other suitable material.

The sides of the housing comprise two upwardly slidable walls 15 and 16and the top is composed of a slidable cover 17 slidable downwardlybehind the wall 16 and a fixed section 18. Walls 15 and 16 and cover 17are each provided with a pair of handles 19, whereby they are readilymoved to open and closed position. The slidable side walls, cover andfixed section each may be formed from a single piece of sheet iron orother suitable flexible material. They may also be corrugated or beaded,as shown, to lend strength thereto, and prevent buckling. Secured to andextending between the ends 11 and 12 are a pair of strengthening braces20 and 21. A pair of strips 22 and 23 extend the entire length of and inspaced relation within the flanges 13 of the respective end walls 11 and12. Strips 22 and 23 each may be formed of a single piece of strap ironor steel and are held in proper spaced relation relative to flanges 13by spacers 24;. The strips and their respective spacers may be heldtogether and to flanges 13 in any suitable manner, such as bolting,riveting or spot welding.

Flanges 13 and strips 22 and 23 form guideways for retaining and guidingthe opposite edges of the sides and cover of the housing. Thus sidewalls 15 and 16 may be raised from the position shown by the full linesso as to allow access to the bottom of the housing and cover 17 may belowered to allow access to the top of the housing. The side walls andcover slide within the guideways provided by flanges 13 and strips 22and 23. They are prevented from springing outwardly by the flanges andfrom'falling or springing inwardly? by the strips. displacement.

The tub is pivoted to the end walls within housing 7 upon trunnions 25and 26. Trunnions 25 and 26 project through open-" ings in the hubs 27and 28, respectively, of spiders "39 and 30, secured to the respectiveend walls 11 and 12. The tub may be made of suit-able material, such assheet iron and has an opening in its top provided with a removable lid31.

The spacers prevent lateral Trunnions 25 and 26 project, respectively,into bearings formed in the hubs or spiders 35 and 36 which are securedto the opposite end walls of the tub. The tub is thus suspended ontrunnions 25 and 26.

The tub is oscillated about its axis by an operating mechanism having anelectric motor 6. Motor 6 is belted to a pulley 38 which is providedwith a pinion engaging a gear wheel 39. Gear Wheel 39 has a link 40pivotally connected thereto and through which it communicates motion tothe tub by a crank 41. When gear wheel 39 is rotated by the motor thetub may be oscillated by link 40.

The operating mechanism is carried on a suitable bed plate 45 secured tothe base of the housing. The motor is slidably mounted upon the bedplate and may be moved by an adlj usting screw 46 to vary the tension inthe be t.

The operating mechanism is connected to and disconnected from the tub bya handle 50, which, through a train of beveled gears 51 controls asuitable clutch 52. When the handle is thrown in one direction theclutch interconnects crank 41 with thetub and when the handle is movedto another position it disconnects crank 41 from the tub.

A wringer 53 is positioned outside of and above the housing. It iscarried on a standard 54 which projects through an opening in v thefixed section of the housing top and is secured by suitable means to endwall 11. The wringer rolls are operated by motor 6 through a gear wheel55 which meshes with the pinion of pulley 38. Gear wheel 55 drives,through suitable beveled gears, a shaft 56 which is interconnected atits upper end to the wringer rolls by a suitable bevel gear train.

The tub and its operating mechanism are entirely enclosed by a housing.The danger of clutches or garments being caught in the moving parts isthus eliminated. The side walls of the housing can-be raised readily sothat access may be had to the bottom of the tub and theoperatingmechanism. The cover of the housing is slid easily to open position sothat the top of the tub is accessible for the insertion and removal ofthe articles to be washed. The slidably opening Side .walls and cover donot require additional space when they are open and they are always inposition on the housing. The washing machine can thus be employed in amore limited space and with less liability of loss or injury to parts ofthe housing than would'be the case with hinged or separable sides andcover. When the tub is in operation the housing may be entirely closedso that there is no chance for the escape of water or steam or forinjury to the person or 1 ,eaaaea garments of persons about the machineor the articles being washed.

The tub may be started and stopped from the outside of the housing byturning a single handle and the wringer is mounted in a handy positionand is driven by the motor which oscillates the tub. The housing isrigid and strong, presents a neat appearance and -may be readily movedfrom place to place.

Having described my invention, claim is 1. A housing ,for enclosing thetub and operating mechanism of a washing machine comprising a baseformed of bars secured together at their ends to provide asubstantiallyl'ectangular frame, a pair of end walls each of said endwalls having a rectangular 'shaped bottom portion and a semi-circulartop portion and having an inwardly turned flange along the edgesthereof, a pair of strips carried by said end walls in spaced relationto the flanges to form therewith guideways, a pair of opposite verticalflexible side walls whose longitudinal edges are slidably supported inthe guideways and adapted by the their flexibility to follow thecircular path of the guideway when the side walls are lifted upwardly, asemi-cylindrical cover comprising a fixed ortion and a flexible portionwhose longltudinal edges are slidably supported in the guideways, topermit removal of the flexible portion of the cover by pushing itdownwardly and to either side.

what I 2. A housing for completely enclosing the tub and operatingmechanism of awashing machine, comprising a base formed of bars securedtogether at their ends to provide a substantially rectangular frame, apair of end walls carried by the frame and having inturned flanges toform corner posts and guides, a pair of strips carried by said end wallsin spaced relation to the flanges to form therewith. guideways, a pairof opposite side walls whose longitudinal edges are slidably supportedin the guideways, and a cover whose longitudinal edges are also slidablysupported in the guide ways.

3. A washing machine having a housing with its longest axis in avertical plane comprising two end walls each made from. a

single piece of sheet metalprovided with an inwardly extending flangearound three sides thereof, and a pair of fixed side walls and aslidable curved top wall held in position by the flanges of the endwalls; a tub journaled in bearings supported on the end walls andmeans-entirely within'the housing to oscillate the tub.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribed my name.

ADOLPH F. ANDERSON.

